Chapter Text
It was Makoto’s first day of college. He tried desperately to wipe the tear tracks from his face as he said goodbye to his parents and little siblings. His parents had helped him move everything he was bringing into his new dorm, and were trying to put off departure for as long as possible by worrying excessively over every last detail.
“Make sure you don’t forget to eat! And that your alarm clock is set for AM, not PM.” His mother held his hand in both of hers.
“I did that once…” Makoto grumbled, but smiled just the same. “Yeah, mom. I will. You’re going to miss the train.”
“Of course, you’re right. Goodbye, call us every day.” She kissed his cheek tearfully.
“Mom…” He was wrapped in another barrage of hugs from his family.
“Don’t leave!” Ran cried, as his dad picked him up.
Eventually, everyone walked away, leaving Makoto alone outside of his residence hall.
“Haru! Dammit, that’s a koi pond, stop!” a blur of red hair dashed past Makoto, grabbing the wrist of some guy who was taking his shirt off.
Makoto blushed and looked away. Maybe this was normal for college. He had a lot to get used to.
The red haired guy looked back at Makoto curiously, “Hey, you aren’t Tachibana-san, are you? I have the picture from your school ID here somewhere…”
Makoto’s eyes widened and he smiled, “Oh! Yes, that’s me. Are you my new roommate, then? Nanase-san?”
“Pft. Hell no. That would be this idiot. Haru, stop.” He smacked the other’s (Haru’s?) wrist to stop him from potentially crushing some koi. “Sit on the bench.” He commanded, shoving Haru bodily onto the bench facing the pond. Haru just sulked, not saying anything. “I’m Matsuoka Rin.”
“O-oh.” Makoto stammered, turning to Haru, “Um, nice to meet you, Nanase-san. You can call me Ma-“
“Don’t.” Rin interrupted. “He can’t hear you.”
Makoto frowned, a little startled, “He can’t…? Is he-“
“Deaf. Yeah. You don’t have to talk to him, he can take care of himself.” Rin tapped Haru’s shoulder. Haru stood up and grabbed his hand, allowing himself to be dragged away into the hall by Rin.
Makoto watched them go. They’re holding hands. Are they together? He wondered to himself as the hall entrance slammed closed. Only then did he remember that the only reason he was outside was to wait for Haru to show up. Blushing a little, he jogged after them, catching up just over the staircase to the second floor where their room was.
Rin stared at Makoto; “I’m right across the hall, so-“
Suddenly, Makoto found himself on the floor. Whatever hit him must have been moving faster than the speed of sound, because a second later, he heard the approaching, “MAKOTAN!”
Makoto gasped, checking to see if any ribs had broken, “Nagisa! You’re- huh. I prefer Mako-chan better I think.”
Nagisa huffed, “Now that we’re in college, I don’t’ want you feeling so grown up you get a big ego and hurt yourself. I’m just looking out for you.”
Makoto laughed, “So long as you have my best interests in heart. Get off of me.”
“Yeah, okay I- Bwah! Makotan’s roommate, huh?” He grinned up at Rin, “Wow, okay! Good to meet you!”
Makoto shook his head, “No, the other one. Nanase Haruka-san.”
Nagisa swiveled around to look at Haru, “I didn’t see you there! When I saw your name on Mako-chan’s pamphlet, I thought you were a girl. Maybe Mako-chan has secretly been a girl this whole time, and so the school put him with a girl roommate. But no, you’re a guy like Mako-chan and like me probably! I work at the coffee house on campus, it’s really cool-“ Nagisa continued to babble on to Haru as Rin quietly smirked and started trying to figure out the key to Haru’s and Makoto’s room.
“Nagisa…” Makoto tried to stop him.
“Yeah, Makotan, I have a new roommate too! I think I might be taller than him. Can I help you unpack? Oh! Can I come in your room, Haru-chan?”
Makoto pushed himself off the floor, “He can’t hear you. He’s ah…”
“Deaf!” Rin supplied from inside the room, “Right, Haru, you psychotic demon dolphin? Nah, he can’t hear me. He knows though. Watch out for that, Tachibana, he likes to strip wherever there’s water. Any water. Can’t stress that enough. One time it got humid enough that he took all his clothes off and just lied down on the floor. My sister walked in and saw him like that, swear to god she almost passed out. Sparkles everywhere. I don’t blame her. Boy’s got abs.” Rin grabbed Haru’s wrist and pulled him inside the room over to his bed. He tapped the palm of Haru’s hand with two fingers, “Sit.”
Nagisa followed Makoto inside, waving at Haru, “Hi Haru-chan! I’m-“ Nagisa spelled his name in complicated little hand symbols. Haru squinted at him.
Rin grinned, “Ah, you can do that? That’s cool. Doubt Haru understood what you said, though.”
Nagisa looked crestfallen, “Why not?”
“He’s pretty much blind, too.” Rin dropped a heavy looking box unceremoniously on the floor.
“You’re kidding! How does he talk?” Nagisa looked with growing concern at Haru, who shrugged at Rin.
Rin sat down on the bed next to Haru, “Hmm… well you can text him if you get his phone number, but he fairly hates that thing, so… I talk to him with tactile, but my dad was Deaf, so I figured out how pretty quick.”
Makoto just stood there, eyes wide.
“Show me!” Nagisa squealed.
Rin grinned, looking pleased to show off a skill. “Yeah, okay.” He tapped Haru’s shoulder, and Haru held out his hands. Makoto sat down on his own bed, watching in amazement as Rin moved his hands fluidly in Haru’s. Haru nodded to whatever Rin was saying, and tapped his leg.
“What did you say?” Nagisa asked breathily.
“I said he was a psychotic demon dolphin.”
“He nodded.” Nagisa frowned.
“He did.”
“That’s so cool!” Nagisa almost screamed, “Can I tell him my name?”
“Yeah.”
Nagisa put his hand in Haru’s and spelled his name again. Haru nodded and spelled something back, about a thousand times faster than Nagisa, who looked surprised. “What did he say?”
“Haru. His name.”
“Cool!” He bounded over to Makoto, “You try!”
Makoto shook his head, “I don’t know how.”
“I’ll show you!” Nagisa put together a few more complicated handshapes together.
“Nope.” Rin interrupted, “That spells Makotan.”
“Nagisa!” Makoto protested, looking mortified.
Rin helped Makoto spell his real name. When Makoto tried with Haru, Haru reached out suddenly and grabbed his hand. He said something to Rin.
Rin sighed, “He says you smell like the pool. That’s the biggest compliment he gives.”
“Oh…” Makoto flushed, “I swim a lot.”
Rin frowned, “Yeah. Well, nice to meet you and all that, but I have to get back to my room before my roommate takes the bunk I want. Wish we had the same floor plan as you guys. Later.”
Rin shut the door behind him with a thump.
Nagisa smiled, “Yeah, I gotta go too. My shift started like, two minutes ago. Nice meeting you, Haru-chan! Bye Mako-chan!” He left behind Rin, leaving the room strangely silent.
Haru held up a finger to Makoto, asking him to wait while he rummaged around in a blue backpack. He found a cell phone in a thick case and a kind of device that Makoto had never seen before. Haru typed onto it, and a voice read out, “I’m Haru. Do you know the way to the pool?”